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Jprcatljeii in £znox, Mass. 




AT THE CELEBRATION OP THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ORDINATION TO 
THE VfORK OF THE GOSPEL MINISTRY IN SAID TOWN, 



BY SAMUEL SHEPARD, D. D. 



TOGETHER WITH THE ADDRESS OF THE REV. MR. TODD. 



LENOX: 

J. G. STANLEY, 
1845. 



ALL THINGS EARTHLY, CHANGING AND TRANSITORY. 



S E E M O N 



prcacljCL) in fcnoi:, Mass. 



APRIL 30, 1845, 



AT THE CELEBRATION OF THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS ORDINATION TO 
THE WORK OF THE GOSrEL MINISTRY IN SAID TOWN, 



BY SAMUEL SHEPARD, D. D. 



TOGETHER WITH THE ADDEESS OF THE EEV. ME. TODD. 



LENOX: 

J. G. STANLEY. 
1845. 






'Of 

PcisLisnF.D at the request of the Congregational Society, as communicated b)' 

their Committee, 

Gkorge J. Tdckeh, Esq. 

Thomas Twinixg, Esq. 

AViLLiAM A. PuELPiS, Esq. 



PKINTED Br 6.'>N. *5 Jc It* 1%60>J Ia& Ek tO. 

S3 Wasliiiigton Street. 



The public religious exercises, accompanying tlic delivery of the following Sermon, 
commenced with singing ' Denmark,' by the choir. 

The invocation, reading of portions of Scripture, and a Hymn, composed by Mrs. 
SiGOUENEY, and set to music by Mr. AVilson, — by Rev. T. S. Clarke, of Stockbridge. 

Praise to the Giver of our joys, — 
Who 'mid life's changeful day, 
While dearest treasures fail or fade, 
And firmest props decay, 
Doth gird our much-lov'd pastor's hand. 
That heavenward points the way. 

Praise to the Author of our trust, 

Who, when affliction's darts 

Make midnight iu our bowers of love, 

And fondest hope departs, 

Slitl spares the voice rever'd, that speaks 

Heaven's comfort to our hearts. 

We thank thee, Father! who hast breath'd 

Thy Spirit iu his breast, 

And with a crown of righteousness 

His aged temples blest, — 

Gram that his flock with him may share 

Thine everrasting rest. 

Eev. T. S. Clarke oflercd the first prayer. ""- ' ' 

A second Hymn, composed by JNLs. Sigourney, and set to music by Mr. Wilson, 
was then sung. 

Yc, o'er whose blooming brows 
Life's freshest dews descend, — 
Give honor to the hoary head, 
The Patriarch, and the Friend. 

He many a wandering lamb 
Hath to green pastures brought, 
And duly watches for your souls. 
With deep and prayerl'ul thought. 

Learn from his lips the lore 
That makes the simple wise ; 
And gather from his saintly life 
Example for the skies. 

Oh, bright and youthful band, 
The children of our love. 
Give honor to the hoary head, 
And praise to God above. 



There was a pansc in the delivery of the Sermon, wliilst a Hymn, the first line of 
which is 'Ilaik! the song of Jul.iiee!' was sung. 

At the close of the Sermon, Kev. Mr. Todd, of Pittsficld, delivered an aiipropriate 
address to the congrre-ration. lie tlien offered the condudin-: prayer, and read a tiiird 
Hymn, composed by Mrs. Sigourney, which, together with the Christian Doxology, 
was sung by the choir — tune, ' Old Hundred' — in which the whole assembly united. 

Where are the fathers ? they who chose 

'Mid lliese fair vales their happy lot, — 
Here, where their native strcainlut flows ? 

We call them, but they answer not. 

"Where are the fathers? Tell us where? 

At wintrj- fireside .sparkling clear, — 
At hall, and board, and house of prayer, 

AVe seek them, but they are not here. 

Where are the fathers ? Gone to rest ! 

Yon hallowed church-yard, sadly fair, 
The swelling mounds on earth's green breast, 

The silent tomb-stones leach us where. 

MTiere are the fathers ? Risen to God ! 

If here they labored for the skies, 
Slill may we keep the path they trod, 

And join in Heaven earth's broken ties. 

Benediction by Rev. Sir. Clarke. 



SERMON. 



*THE FASHIOX OF THIS WORLD PASSETH AWAT.' — 1 CorilltluanS, 7: 31. 

Every thing in the universe is subject to change, except God 
himself. Perfect immutability can be ascribed only to him. ' I 
am the Lord,' saith he, ' I change not.' ' With him there is no 
variableness, neither shadow of turning.' ' One day is with him 
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.' ' He is 
the same yesterday, to-day, and forever.' All things respecting 
Creation, Providence, and Redemption, were eternally in his 
view. All, all existed in his own infinite mind. It is, therefore, 
only in condescension to our finite capacities and conceptions 
that the term fore-knowledge is used in relation to God ; for, in 
strict propriety of speech, there is no fore-knowledge nor after- 
knowledge with God. All things are forever present to his 
mind, and with him it is one eternal noiu. This accords with 
the language of the poet: 

' O Thou Eternal One ! whose presence bright 
All space doth occupy — all motion guide; 
Thou from primeval nothingness didst call 
First, chaos ; then existence — Eord, on thee 
Eternity had its foundation.' 

All things, however, pertaining to the world and time, are 
changing, and tending to dissolution. Nothing in relation to 
them is permanent — nothing necessarily immutable. They are, 



from their own nature, necessarily subject to change and decay ; 
and, that they do not pass at once into their native nothingness, 
is owing to the upholding power of their immutable author. 
This is emphatically true in regard to all things merely of a 
worldly nature ; but that vnseen state, to which we all hasten, 
will be eternal. The circumstances attending it will, by a divine 
constitution, be kept from that change and decay, to which the 
things of tiie present life and world are subject. The fashion of 
that loorld will not pass away. Our state will there be unaltera- 
bly fixed. He that is fillhy, will then be filthy still ; and he that 
is holy, will be holy still. Not so the things pertaining to this 
mortal state. They are not only mutable in their nature, and 
subject to change, but are actually, and constantly, and necessa- 
rily changing. They pass away, and must soon come to an end. 

The general proposition which the text obviously contains 
may be illustrated by the following particulars: 

Tlie kingdoms of this world pass aicay. 

Cast we an eye over the pages of history, and we soon 
discover a striking trait of the fashion of this world, and 
the transitory nature of its greatest glory. The great things 
of kingdoms, political revolutions, and rising states and 
nations, are considered by vast multitudes as the glory of 
the world, and that which eclipses all other glory. These, of 
course, attract the principal attention of historians, and mul- 
titudes read concerning them with avidity ; but how true 
it is, that their glory, whatever it was, is a glory departed! 
Where now are the I\Ioabites, the Canaanites, the Assyrians, 
and ancient Egyptians? They can be found only on the page 
of history. Where now are Babylon, and Nineveh, and Tyre? 
They were cities once, the wonder of the world and the marts of 
nations I But they are now levelled in the dust, and inhabited 
by beasts of prey. Where now are the four great monarchies 
of the world — the Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, and the 
Roman ? They, according to predictions recorded in God's 
word, have all, excepting the last, passed away. The image 
seen by Nebuchadnezzar was of gold, of silver, of brass, and of 
iron and clay. Nothing remains of it but the toes, which are 



of iron and clay. These, in prophecy, represent the kingdoms 
and states of Europe. In them the seeds of corruption, of 
intrigue, of irreligion, and of licentious principles and practices, 
are extensively sown, and are rapidly springing up. And what 
their end will be we know not, only as we are informed by the 
sure word of prophecy. In that we are assured that in their 
pride and vain-glory they must pass away; for this image, as 
seen in a dream, and interpreted by Daniel, was smitten upon 
his feet by the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and 
scattered like the dust, the chaff of the summer threshing floor. 

The enjoyments of the world pass away. 

Upon every mere earthly enjoyment change and uncertainty 
are written in the most legible characters. Riches are uncertain 
as to their attainment, and uncertain in regard to their continu- 
ance. It is often the case, that men who arrive at what they 
imagine and call (though very improperly) an independent 
fortune, are but a step from poverty ! Many striking evidences 
of this truth have recently come to our knowledge. Riches are, 
in the word of God, called emphatically, 'uncertain riches.' 
Hence the direction, ' Charge them that are rich in this world, 
that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches.' 
Honors and pleasures also, yea, every gratification arising from 
the world and its connections, are equally changeful and transi- 
tory. The enjoyment of them depends, among many other 
things, upon the blessing of health. But that is, in itself, 
extremely precarious, and is one of those things which pass 
away. 

The times, and seasons, and different periods of human life, 
pass aivay. 

How rapidly, and yet, in many respects, imperceptibly, does 
the stream of years roll on, bearing with it the frail bark of life ! 
In the silent flight of time man is almost imperceptibly borne 
along, through the different stages and periods of life, to an 
unwasting eternity! As the seasons of the year, — spring, sum- 
mer, autumn, and winter, — so the different seasons of human 
life, — childhood, youth, manhood, and age, — in quick succes- 
sion protrude each other, till each has passed away. 



8 



The inhabitants of the world pass away. 

Constantly arc they going oft' the stage of life, and are seen 
no more. Uj^on some, in every period, every stale, and every 
circumstance in life, Death lays his heavy hand. Every day 
and every hour witnesses the departure of many from this world 
of sin and sorrow. The number of inhabitants upon the earth 
is, as I suppose, usually estimated at about nine hundred and 
fifty millions. According to this computation, ' there die yearly, 
thirty-five millions one hundred and eighty-five thousand one 
liundred and eighty-five — every week, six hundred and seventy- 
six thousand six hundred and thirty-eight — in each day, ninety- 
six thousand six hundred and sixty-two — every hour, four 
thousand and twenty-seven — and sixty-seven every minutell' 
AVhat a stream of souls, therefore, is continually borne along 
'with the tide of lime, to the ocean of eternity!' Some by 
famine, some by pestilence, and some by the sword of their fel- 
low men, pass away. The inhabitants of tiie earth are, as one 
observes, * like the leaves of the trees. They come forth in the 
spring, and clothe the woods in robes of green. In autumn, 
they wither and fall. The wintry winds then scatter them on 
the earth. Another race comes in their season, and clothes the 
forest again.' Thus the fashion of this world passeth away. 
More than this — 

The world is itself passing aicay. 

It has once been broken up and changed by a deluge of 
waters. It is still composed of gross and perishable materials. 
These all tend to dissolution. It labors under the malediction of 
heaven. ' It tolls,' as saith the poet, ' the death-bell of its own 
decease ; and, by the voice of all its elements, preaches the gen- 
eral doom.' According to divine testimony, it is 'reserved unto 
fire, and the perdition of ungodly men.' ' Lift up your eyes 
to the heavens,' saith the prophet, ' and look upon the earth 
beneath ; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the 
earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein 
shall die in like manner.' ' The day of the Lord,' saith the 
apostle Peter, 'will come as a thief in the night; in the which 
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements 



9 

shall melt with fervent heat; the earth, also, and the works that 
are therein, shall be burnt up.' 

That the proposition in the text may be further illustrated, it 
may here be proper to advert to some of the events and changes 
which have occurred in this church and town, more especially 
in the course of the last fifty years. 

The first inhabitant of this town was Mr. Jonathan Hinsdale, 
from Hartford, (Conn.) in 1750. In 1767 the town was incor- 
porated ; and in 1769, the Congregational Church was organized 
by Rev. Samuel Hopkins, of Great Barrington ; and has now 
the same confession of faith, and form of covenant, which were 
then adopted. The male members received into the Church, at 
the time of its organization, were nifie in number ; and by the 
names of Collins, Tracey, Stanley, Hinsdale, Steel, Bacon, 
Andrews, Landers, and Richards. For several years after the 
first settlement of the town, the number of inhabitants increased 
very slowly. One cause of this was fear of Indian depredations. 
In 1755, the inhabitants of the town were driven from their 
homes by the approach of savages, who were instigated to hos- 
tilities by the French, in Canada. It was not, therefore, till 1770, 
that the first Minister of the Gospel, Rev. Samuel Munson, was 
settled in the town. Mr. Munson was from New Haven, (Conn.) 
He was a graduate of Yale College in 1763, and was a man of 
good abilities, of ardent piety, sound in the faith, and zealous in 
promoting the cause of the Redeemer. He lived, however, ' in 
troublous times.' The revolutionary war occasioned very bitter 
animosities among the people ; and, subsequently, what is called 
the ' Shays' insurrection' was productive of much evil in the town. 
Such was the state of the Church, that, for seven years, the 
sacrament of the Lord's Supper was not administered to its 
members. The number of inhabitants in Lenox, according to 
the census of the United States in 1800, was 1041. In 1820, it 
was about 1315, and, since that time, it has never varied much 
from that number. From the time of Mr. Munson's settlement, 
in 1770, to that of. his dismission, in 1792, was twenty-two years. 
During that time the Church was not greatly increased in num- 
bers, and contained but a very few more members at the close of 
2 



10 



his ministry than at the beginning. In October, 1794, your 
present Pastor came, by Invitation, to preach to this people as a 
candidate for settlement in the work of the gospel ministry. 
Having received a unanimous call to become the Pastor of this 
Church and the minister of this people, he was, in compliance 
with their request, ordained according to the order of Christ's 
House, April 30th, 1795. The Ordaining Council consisted of 
the following Ministers, with delegates from their respective 
Churches, namely : Rev. Dr. West, Stockbridge ; Rev. Ephraim 
Judson, Sheffield ; Rev. Dr. Strong, Chatham, Conn. ; Rev. 
Thomas Allen, Piltsfield ; Rev. Daniel Collins, Lanesborough ; 
Rev. David Perry, Richmond ; Rev. Alvan Hyde, Lee ; and 
Rev. Oliver Ayer, West Stockbridge. 

Mr. Perry offered the introductory prayer. Dr. Strong 
preached the sermon, from 1st of Corinthians, 4th chapter, 1st 
and 2d verses : ' Let a man so account of us, as of the Ministers 
of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it 
is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.' Dr. West 
offered the ordaining prayer ; ]Mr. Judson gave the charge to the 
Pastor; Dr. Hyde presented the right hand of fellowship; and 
Mr. Allen offered the concluding prayer. The first and only 
meeting-house that had ever been built in the town, was still occu- 
pied for religious worship by the Congregational Society, when I 
began my labors here, and eleven years afterwards; or, until 
this house was dedicated to the worship of God, which was 
January 1st, 1806. But the old house was so limited in its di- 
mensions, and in such a slate of decay, that it was thought inex- 
pedient to have the ordination service performed in it. A stage 
was therefore erected on the south side of it, for the accommo- 
dation of the Council. Seats w^ere also amply provided for the 
convenience of the great concourse who were present on that 
occasion. 

The whole number of Congrei^^ational Ministers in the 
County, at the time of my ordination, was fifteen; and the num- 
ber settled since that time, in different parts of the County, and 
at different times, is eighty-one. 

I could not learn, from any of the first settlers, that there had 



11 

been any particular season of religious revival in this town until 
June, 1799. It appears that the greatest number ever added to 
this Church, in the course of one year, was eleven. Tliat^ if I 
am rightly informed, was in the year 1783. Such was the effect 
of the unhappy divisions which occurred in the Church, of the 
numerous interruptions, also, to public religious instruction, and 
the stated administration of divine ordinances, that, for many 
years, the message to the Church in Sardis might, with peculiar 
propriety, have been addressed to this Church. ' I know thy 
works; that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.' At 
the time of my ordination, the state of the Church was such as 
to call for the fervent prayers of all who had a heart to pray. 
The number of its members was not much greater, perhaps, than 
it had been for twenty years before, and almost all of them were 
sinking under the weight of years. No one in early life was a 
member of the Church. No one in youth had been received 
into it in the course of sixteen years. To see those who were 
young, all as one, wasting away their best moments in stupidity ; 
to view them as dying and accountable creatures ; and yet 
living, apparently, without a hope, — ' without a wish beyond the 
grave;' and to see only a few grey-headed people compose 
almost the whole number of communicants at the sacramental 
table, could not fail to give feelings, not easily to be described, to one 
just entering upon the work of the gospel ministry. Well might 
this Church, as did God's ancient covenant people, when they 
sat in captivity by the waters of Babylon, hang their harps upon 
the willows ; for it seemed, indeed, that when the few who were 
rapidly passing down the vale of time, should be borne to the 
grave, and delivered from the evil to come, the name of Jesus, 
in the holy ordinance of the Supper, would, among us, be 
scarcely had in remembrance. But the Lord hath said, ' I will 
have mercy on whom I will have mercy,' and glory be to His 
name ! With Him is the residence of the spirit ; and He can shed 
down his influences, when and where, and on whom it may 
seem good in His sight. In the year 1799, he was pleased to 
make it a day of his power, and to manifest the glory of his 
grace amongst this people ; and to cause in the midst of us a 



12 

shaking among the dry bones. A revival of religion became 
general in the town at that time ; and, in October of that year, 
twenty-four persons \vere received into the Church. That was 
with us a memorable day. Only a small part of the congre- 
gation had ever before seen a young person publicly engage in 
the Christian warfare. From the same youthful circle, from the 
same family, some were * taken,' while others w^ere ' left.' While 
some parents were so happy as to see their children following 
them in the Christian profession, others, who were still conscious 
of being heirs of tliat kingdom which is destined to destruction, 
saw their offspring fleeing for refuge to the wounds of a bleeding 
Savior. Husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers 
and sisters, were separated by that line of distinction which is 
formed by a religious profession. In this the sovereignty of 
God was obvious. ' The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice.' 
Having taken upon themselves the bonds of the Christian 
covenant, and attended to a particular address to the Church and 
to them, dictated by the interesting occasion, they, who then 
publicly united with the visible Church of Christ, sang a hymn, 
which concluded thus : 

' Saints; by the jiower of Goil arc kept, 
Till full salvation come : 
We walk by faith, as strangers here, 
Till Clirist shall call lis home.' 

The language to the spectators, in the scene then passing 
before them, was, ' We are journeying unto the place of which the 
Lord said, I will give it you ; come thou with us, and we will do 
thee good; for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel.' A 
solemn silence was apparent during the whole service. Not an 
air of levity was for a moment seen on any countenance. The 
infidel and abandoned man stood appalled ; and to the friends of 
Zion, the season afforded a prelibation of heavenly joys. The 
old and the young, who were present, seemed ready to adopt the 
language of Jacob, when, at Bethel, he aw^oke from a dream : 
' How dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house 
of God, and this is the gate of Heaven.' About sixty persons, 
as the fruits of that revival, were added to the Church. In 1807 



13 



there was a partial revival of religion in the north-east part of the 
town, and a small number of persons were at that time hopefully- 
brought into the kingdom of Christ. In 1808, God, in his 
infinite mercy, was pleased to pour out his spirit upon the Church 
and people, and to awaken, convince, and renew the hearts of 
many, who had before lived in impenitency and unbelief. The 
number of persons received into the Church, soon after that re- 
vival, was fifty-six. In 1815, the means of grace were accom- 
panied with saving efficacy, and one hundred and sixty-one 
persons were added to the Church. In 1820, a revival of religion 
commenced in the Sabbath School, which was for a little season, 
powerful ; and sixteen hopeful converts were the fruits of it. In 
the year 1821, there was a general revival of religion in tlie 
town, and seventy-six persons were added to the Church. In 
1826 and '7, this Church and people were again blessed with a 
shower of divine grace, and the number soon after received into 
the Church was one hundred and twenty-three. In 1830, a 
more than common attention to the subject of religion prevailed, 
and the number received into the Church at one time in that year 
was nineteen. In 1836, forty were added to the Church, as the 
fruits of a revival of religion that year ; and in 1843, the means of 
grace were again attended with divine power, and the anxious 
inquiry was heard, ' What shall we do to be saved ? ' A goodly 
number were hopefully brought into a saving union to Christ, 
and sixty-seven persons were admitted to the fellowship and 
communion of the Church. Thus God, in his mercy and grace, 
has favored this Church with ten different seasons of the special 
manifestations of his divine influence accompanying the means 
of grace which they have enjoyed. 

The character of these several revivals of religion was essen- 
tially the same. It may, notwithstanding, be useful to describe 
the appearance of the work in the first instance; because in that 
there seemed to be less that was exceptionable than in almost 
any that afterwards occurred. In that revival the immediate 
hand of Omnipotence was most strikingly exhibited. It was 
preceded by no providential occurrences that were uncommon. 
No special judgments were felt at the time. No mere device 



14 



or invention of man was attempted, in order ' to g-et vp a revival,* 
as is somelimes expressed. Only a little time before, people of 
every description appeared to be slumbering and sleeping as to 
the subject of religion. Religious instruction was just the same 
as it Iiad been ; and, so far from being afl'ected by mere sympathy, 
it was often the case, persons who lived in the same neighbor- 
hood and in the same family, were greatly distressed in mind, 
without knowing the feelings of each other; and, as soon as any 
were really awakened to the concerns of the soul, they seemed 
at once to be engaged in ac([uiring religious knowledge. The 
sacred Scriptures were diligently searched, as well as other re- 
ligious books, especially those that had for their object the 
illustration of the doctrines of grace. The Bible, as well as 
books of the description I have mentioned, were read with 
avidity. Some of those who had always before been regardless 
of religious truth, and most shamefully ignorant of the doctrines 
of the gospel, were able, in a little time, to speak of the depravity 
of the human heart, the nature of sin, the beauties of holiness, 
and the plan of redemption by Jesus Christ; and, indeed, of all 
the doctrines, duties, and institutions of the Christian system, 
with a propriety that was truly astonishing. 

That revival began in the Church ; and I believe that, upon in- 
quiry, it will be found to be true, that, in almost every instance 
of religious revival, its first appearance is in the Church of 
Christ. When God is about to bestow spiritual blessings upon 
a people, it is his usual method first to awaken his professed 
friends out of sleep. Before a single instance of conviction of 
sin was known in this town, in the spring of 1799, a good pro- 
portion of the members of the Church, in the course of a few 
days, manifested deep concern for the cause of Christ amongst 
us. A spirit of fervent prayer seemed to be given them ; and 
as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth children. When, 
therefore, the professed followers of Christ grieve the Holy 
Spirit, — when they have evidently much leanness of soul, — when 
they are cold in the discharge of incumbent duty, — they can have 
but little reason to suppose that a shower of divine grace is near 
them. 



15 



A genuine revival of religion most strikingly evinces the 
importance of all the means of grace which God hath instituted. 
When once the attention of a people is really called up to the 
concerns of the soul, how precious in their view, are seasons of 
prayer ! How precious is God's holy Sabbath Day I How anx- 
ious are they who are awakened to search the Scriptures I How 
highly do they prize every opportunity to acquire religious 
knowledge ! How great would be the distress of such, if they 
were at once deprived of all opportunity to learn the character 
of God, to acquire right views of their own moral state, and of 
the gospel plan of salvation! God works by means in the 
moral as well as in the natural world. They are not the end, 
but are necessary to the end. 'Faith cometh by hearing, and 
hearing by the word of God.' They, therefore, who would grow 
in grace, and make progress in the divine life, must make the 
Bible the man of their counsel, and diligently and prayerfully 
attend on the means which are instituted for that end. 

I here remark, once more, that in reference to the revival of 
religion in this town in 1799, amongst those who were awakened 
to attend to religious truth, a remarkable uniformity was apparent 
in regard to the doctrines which were embraced. Those were 
such as are usually termed Calvinistic. Such truths as the total 
and awful depravity of the human heart — the necessity of regen- 
eration, or a change of moral taste, as a preparation for the en- 
joyment of the communional blessedness of heaven — the equity 
of the divine law, in its penalty as well as precept — 
God's sovereignty and electing love in the salvation of sinners, 
as constituting the only possible ground of hope in the case of a 
guilty offender — the necessity of gospel morality as an evidence 
of justifying faith ; and all the doctrines of the Bible, essentially 
connected with these, were readily received by all 'with one 
consent.' 

The whole number of persons received into this Church since 
my ordination, is eight hundred and fifteen. One hundred and eight 
of those were received by letters of recommendation from other 
Churches. No male member of the Church, at the time I became 
their Pastor, is now living. The last survivor was Mr. Uriah 



16 



Judd, who died October, 1839, in the 94th year of his age. Two 
females are yet living, who were members of the Church when I 
became connected with it, viz : Mrs. Way, aged 915, and the 
widow of the late Mr. Abner Bangs, aged 79. 

The present number of members of this Church is two hun- 
dred and ninety-one. Some of these have gone to reside in dif- 
ferent and distant places, without having their particular relation 
to this Church transferred to any other ; and, in some instances, 
without my knowledge of their present location. Such a course 
is very improper for professors of religion, and often proves to be 
injurious to the cause of the Redeemer. In the course of my 
ministry, I have baptised nine hundred and sixty-nine persons. 
Six hundred and seventy-nine of those were in infancy. The 
stated time for the administration of the sacrament of the 
Lord's Supper, as adoi)ted by this Church when it was organized, 
is the first Sabbath in each quarter of the year, and has never 
been omitted but twice since my ordination ; and that was owing 
to the sickness of the Pastor. My record of deaths within the 
limits of the town was begun in the year 1803. In tliat year 
the number of deaths was sixteen. Allowing the number through 
the seven previous years to have been, upon an average, ten in a 
year, which is probably a low estimate, and the whole number 
of deaths, in the town, during my ministry, would be nine hun- 
dred and fifty -three. The number brought from other places, and 
buried here in the different grave yards, is 48. Of these, some 
of all ages, and in all conditions of life, have fallen beneath the 
stroke of death. Parents, just engaged in the busy scenes of life, 
have been taken suddenly away from their rising families ; and 
children have also been arrested by the king of terrors, on whom 
fond parents had placed sanguine expectations, and that under 
their fostering care and protection they would be prepared to act 
an honorable and useful part on the stage of life. But, however 
unexpected or unprepared, they are gone. Death will invade 
us by the means appointed, and bounds are set to man's 
life, beyond which he cannot pass. WeaU must go to the dead. 
They will not return to us. 



17 



' They 're fix'd in an eternal state, 
They 've done with all below ; 
We, a little longer, wait, 
But Jiow little, none can know.' 

Surely it might be seasonable for us, who yet live, to pause 
and inquire — what would now have been our state if we had 
been taken away by death, instead of those whom we have fol- 
lowed to the grave ? Their call to us, is, ' Be ye, also, ready.' 
And if we rightly improve their death, it may be a greater bless- 
ing to us, than if they had been spared longer on earth. 

' Smitten friends,' says the poet, ' are angels, sent on errands 
full of love; for us they languish, and for us they die.' Oh! 
let them not languish — let them not die in vain! This is their 
call to us from the grave. This is the voice of God to us, in 
His providence. This is His voice in His word. ' Our fathers — 
where are they ? And the prophets — do they live forever ? We 
are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were. 
Our days on the earth are a shadow, and, there is none abiding.' 

I do not now know of but three men and their wives, living in 
a family state, who were inhabitants of the town, and married be- 
fore my ordination ; these are Mr. Titus Parker, Mr. Allen Met- 
calf and Mr. Barnard Hinsdale, and their wives. Only one man 
is, to my knowledge, now living, who took an active part in pro- 
curing my settlement in this place, as a Minister of the Gospel ; 
and that is Mr. Joshua Carpenter, now residing in Lee. And, 
as a striking commentary upon the declaration — ' One genera- 
tion passeth away, and another generation comelh, ' — I may 
state, that among those who assembled at my house on the first 
day of January, this year, to present their kind salutations and 
their tokens of friendship and respect, there were the greatgrand- 
children of some who were active members of the Congrega- 
tional Church and Society at the commencement of my ministry. 
Since the time of my ordination, the number of marriages solem- 
nized by me is two hundred and seventy-three. During that 
time, I have attended, by invitation, eighty-five ecclesiastical 
councils, and have taken an active part in the business of 
each. No such council, however, has been called by this 
3 



18 



Church, since my connection with it, to aid in settling diffi- 
culties which have resulted from cases of discipline which, at 
difierent limes, have occurred in the Church. But, not to dwell 
now upon the number of sermons I have preached, (which I 
suppose would average four in a week during my ministry,) or 
the number of ordinations and ecclesiastical councils I have 
attended — to say nothing of the sick visited, and funerals 
attended — parochial visits made and received — passing com- 
pany entertained — meetings of association attended — occa- 
sional lectures preached — meetings for prayer attended — vis- 
iting primary schools and higher institutions of learning — 
omitting, also, to speak of domestic concerns and other avoca- 
tions frequently and necessarily occurring, I would draw your 
attention at once, to the facts of a local nature which I have pre- 
sented for your consideration at this time, and incjuire if they do 
not, in your minds, most strikingly illustrate the truth of the de- 
claration — 'The fashion of this world passeth away?' Ah! 
how few and fleeting are the days of man upon the earth ! 
"What changes does a little time make in the circumstances of 
individuals — of families — of neig[iborhoods — of different so- 
cieties — of towns — of states and nations — in the Church of 
Christ — and in the natural and moral state of the world I 

[Here there was a pause in the delivery of the sermon, while 
a Hymn, the first line of which is — 

' Hark I the song of Jubilee' — was sung by the choir.] 
Just fifty years ago this day, and at this very hour of the day, 
a scene was witnessed, upon this Iti//, of deep moral interest. A 
youth, just entering u])on the stage of life, buoyant with health 
and hope, and constrained, as he believed, by love to Christ and 
to souls, was solemnly consecrated to the work of the gospel 
ministry, and took upon himself those solemn ordination vows, 
for the performance of which he must, eventually, answer at the 
judgment bar. But who, I ask, ever looked forward to fifty 
years, without viewing it as an almost interminable period? 
Again I ask, who ever looked back to it, even through the mists 
that envelope its changes and vicissitudes without exclaiming — 
' Surely, life is as a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and 



19 

then vanishelh away!' "Who would recognize, in the time- 
worn pilgrim who now stands before you, with the weight of 
years heavy on his brow, his sun so near its setting, and his 
shadow fast lengthening, the same man — the same being — 
who, fifty years ago, was, by prayer and the laying on of the 
hands of the Presbytery, stationed upon these heights of Zion, 
as overseer of a flock then few and feeble? A portion of them 
however, were men, strong in heart, and noble in purpose; — 
men who did not shrink at great sacrifices, that they might 
secure to themselves and their children, those great moral and 
religious influences which they knew to be absolutely essential 
to the temporal and spiritual interests of any people. Amidst 
divisions and bitter animosities they struggled on manfully. 
The Lord blessed their efforts, and they gradually attained to the 
calm sunshine of peace and prosperity. How vividly the vis- 
ion now rises before me of that old church, with its narrow win- 
dows, and venerable sounding board, and the very places where 
sat many fathers and mothers in Israeli There they fed upon 
the bread of life, and so manifested the abiding power of the 
precious truths of divine revelation in their daily life and ex- 
ample, as to become goodly pillars and polished stones in the 
Church of God. They Avere the parents, grand parents, and 
great grand parents of some who are now before God, in His 
house of worship, on this occasion. The same glorious rampart 
of hills still stretches around us, (for in beauty hath the God of 
Jacob made them,) — the same sky is over our heads — but 
where now are those fathers and mothers in Israel! Ah I most 
of them, and the succeeding generation too, have found a quiet 
resting place in yonder narrow silent halls. There 

' Friends, kindred and neighbors are laid side by side; 
But none have saluted, and none have replied.' 

Oh ! what a flood of touching, tender remembrances rushes up- 
on the mind, at such a review I ' The past revives — the distant 
now is nigh -r-and shadowy forms come forth in memory's light.' 
How many interesting family groups now rise before me, with as 
much freshness as if it were but yesterday that I sat among them 
— listened to their plans — entered into their joys and sorrows — 



20 

and followed them through all their vicissitudes and changes, till 
death closed the scene, and they all, one after another, were laid 
side by side, in tliat^ our common home. How many a youth- 
ful pair, who, full of hope, looked forward to life as one long 
summer's day, have I united in matrimony, tiiat holy tie which 
bound them to each other for weal or woe. Upon their infant 
ofTspring, as they rose in succession around them, I have placed 
the baptismal seal, and borne witness to their consecration vows 
to train them up for God, and invoked his blessing, which 
maketh rich and addelh no sorrow thereto. I have also seen 
those who were thus dedicated to God, rise in their turn to man's 
and woman's estate; and, amid a cheerful gathering of bright 
faces and joyous hearts, have united them in those holy bands 
which constilnted them heads of families. They, too, became 
parents, and at this altar, upon tlie third generation have I placed 
the seal of the covenant. From almost all the houses in the 
town I have gone with the funeral train to the adjacent grave- 
yard to perform the last melancholy oihce towards the remains 
of deceased fellow mortals. Oh I How many a friend do I 
recall, by whose bed-side I have been, as the shadows of death 
were gathering thick around him ; and with stricken friends 
have sought support and consolation for the departing spirit! 
It was perhaps, a grey-haired sire, full of years and honors, — 
one who had long lived with an eye fixed on heaven as his 
home, and had nothing now left to do but to bestow his blessing 
on his children and the Church of God, and then be gathered to 
his fathers. The angel of the covenant had come, and, faithful to 
his promise, stood j)repared to walk with him through death's 
dark vale. And, blessed be God, we have in many instances 
witnessed that mosl sublime scene — the Christian bidding adieu to 
the world and lime, in humble hope of a glorious immortality — 
a scene sublime indeed, when the departing soul, which seemed 
to look within the vail, appeared to be so sustained by the pow- 
er of faith and ilie joy of hope, as it drew near the shore of eter- 
nity, as to render it a triumphant, yea, almost a joyful scene. 
Amid the crowd of rushing reminiscences, those scenes come 
thickening upon me. Often have I seen the father bending 
beneath the weight of care and responsibility — the father, 



21 

whose heart swelled with anxiety and hope, as he cast an eye 
upon the little helpless group whose sole dependence for protec- 
tion and support, was, under providence, upon him, stricken down, 
as in a moment, and have gone with the agonized widow, and 
grief-stricken little ones, to bury their all of earthly comfort out 
of their sight. On many a fair youth I have cast my eyes with 
pleasure, and with almost paternal pride; and, as I watched their 
ripening virtues, have said to my own heart — ' He will in time 
become a pillar, or, she will be a polished stone in our Zion.' 
But the destroyer came, and the places that once knew them 
shall know them no more forever. Amid the deep mystery and 
darkness which envelope such dispensations, we could only say — 
' Father, Thy will be done.' Ah ! my hearers, none can know 
what this life-long interest in a people is, but he who has felt it. 
It is lodged deeply in his inmost soul. It becomes identified 
with the deepest feelings of his heart, and I had almost said with 
his very being; so much so, that he comes to regard them very 
much as the children who were reared around his own hearth- 
fetone. If there is now and then a wanderer, like the prodigal 
son, from some household, he enters into the trials and distress- 
es of the family as if their disgrace or prosperity were a part of 
his own ; for surely the erring one belonged to his own flock. 
Often, in the silent hours of night, does he send up to heaven the 
fervent supplication that the wayward child may yet be restored 
to virtue and to happiness. I, too, in this long course of years, 
have known afllictions deep and bitter, and have received from 
you the tenderest sympathy. Yes, disease has at times laid his 
blighting hand upon me. Death has also invaded the sanctuary 
of my heart and home. Many a time have we gone together ia 
solemn procession to yonder places of the dead — I with you, and 
you with me ; for the companion of my youth, who bore with 
me the heal and burden of the day, has gone the way of all the 
earth. The fair young scion, too, who sprang up by my side as 
a sun-beam in my path-way, was with the summer flowers cut 
ofl" to be here no more. Both have been laid in the dark and nar- 
row house, and the tear of grief has fallen upon it, when no eye 
saw but His who is omniscient. Most of us, indeed, have felt, 



22 



in yonder small inclosure, ' how much the heart can hear.^ Yr?, 
some of us know, by experience, ' the nerve whence agony is 
born.' 

In view of the ravages of disease and death, which we have 
witnessed in the course of our pilgrimage on earth, is not the in- 
quiry unspeakably important, ' What is the report which our years^ 
gone with the years beyond the flood, have carried to heaven ; 
and, what is the report which they ought to have carried there?' 
Our lives have been preserved, while multitudes with whom we 
have been conversant have fallen in death. We have enjoyed 
numerous temporal favors at the hand of God. Have we receiv- 
ed them with thanksgiving, and improved them to the divine 
glory? We have been favored with the word of God — have 
heard the voice of His providence in scenes of mortality which 
have occurred in the midst of us. Have we wisely improved 
them ? Or, have we yet the great work to do, not only of dy- 
ing, but of preparing to die ? If so, it is still more difficult and 
arduous to do, and far less likely than ever before, that we shall 
in future be disposed to set ourselves in earnest about it. 

Surely this truth carries solemn admonition to the aged. 

Need they be reminded that the sands in tlieir glass of life are 
almost out — and that there is but a step betwixt them and 
death ? Since they began their earthly course they have wit- 
nessed great changes in all the departments of human life. 
They find themselves in the midst of a new generation. They 
have seen new Ministers at the altar — new Judges on the bench 
— and new Magistrates in the chair of state. They have seen 
the wilderness turned into a fruitful field — and waste places 
made fertile and teem with plenty. They have seen the facili- 
ties of travelling and transaction of business wonderfully multipli- 
ed by turnpikes and canals, by steamboats and railroads. They 
have seen cities rise where only a little time since was an un- 
broken forest. Since their remembrance the world has been 
convulsed by wars and revolutions — thrones have been over- 
turned — and the moral and religious aspect of the world great- 
ly changed. They surely cannot mistake the import of the text. 
But do they bring it home, and apply it in their own case ? Do 



23 

they duly consider that their years pass away as swiftly as the 
years of others, and that they may have at farthest but two or 
three left? Do they consider that as far as the days of the years 
of their pilgrimage are gone, so far they in a sense are dead ? 
Let all such, therefore, be exhorted to set their houses in order, 
that they may die ; yea, to stand with their lamps trimmed and 
burning, waiting, in penitence and prayer, in faith and new 
obedience, in patience and submission to the will of God, all 
the days of their appointed time upon earth, till their change 
come/ On the middle-aged the burden of civil and religious 
society now rests. Let them feel the responsibility of their sta- 
tions. Let them strive uniformly to maintain and hand down 
to posterity, those institutions, in their purity, which their fathers 
sought, by so great a sacrifice of blood and treasure, to secure to 
themselves and their children. Amidst the busy scenes and 
corroding cares of life, let none of them forget that one thing- is 
needful, and that the present moment is the only one in which 
they can say — 'It is not too late to repent and return to God.' 
Another moment may prove their delay to be death. Of what 
infinite value, therefore, is a moment of time to a sinner unrecon- 
ciled to God ! On the present moment his eternity of joy or 
sorrow may be suspended. Let the middle-aged, therefore, while 
they diligently use the means which God approves, to procure 
temporal blessings, make it their chief concern to obtain spiritual 
blessings in Jesus Christ ; and so to live as that the world may 
be benefited by their having had an existence in it. Yea, let them 
strive so to discharge all incumbent duty towards God, and them- 
selves and others, as to leave a savour of Christ's name behind 
when they quit the stage. 

And may the rising generation remember their Creator in the 
days of their youth. Forget not, my young friends, that ' the 
fashion of this world passeth away.' Of this you are reminded, 
* by the decline and setting of the sun — by the gliding of the 
moon along in her midnight course — by the motion of the 
shadow upon the dial, and by the striking of a clock, hour after 
hour.' These all admonish you of the silent flight of time. 
They, however, who are at your period of life, are prone to feel 



24 

themselves privileged from death. You naturally promise your- 
selves many days to come of worldly enjoyment, and consider 
serious reflections upon the subject of mortality to be ill-suited to 
the bloom and gayety of your years. Trust not, however, :o 
your youth and vigor. A very fair morning is ofttimes sudden- 
ly overcast with clouds. Of this you are convinced from your 
own experience and observation. You have seen some of your 
equals in age, and many younger than yourselves, borne to the 
grave. When you see such in the agonies of death, or the 
corpse of one called away in early life, and borne to the grave, 
you are solemnly admonished that your months and moments 
are all determined of God, that the season of your probation 
will soon be ended, and that you cannot boast of to-morrow. 
Would you, therefore, be prepared for death ; or, '•ather, would 
you be prepared to live with any truly comfortable prospects — 
' Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.' 

We sometimes hear it said — * We know not where our graves 
will be.' This, in a general sense, is true. In view of my period 
of life, however, and its attendant circumstances, I shall proba- 
bly die here, and be buried in the midst of those to a great pro- 
portion of whom I have ministered in holy things. You will, 
doubtless, many of you, behold the cofTm In which I shall be laid. 
Y'^ou will mark the mortal paleness on this breathless clay. Y^ou 
will see these eyes closed in death, and this tongue cease to 
proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to perishing sinners. In 
mournful procession you will probably follow the sable hearse 
on which I shall be borne to the house appointed for all living. 
You will sometimes stand by my grave and talk of me, and of 
years never to return. It may be, as you cast an eye on the 
grave in w^hich I am laid, a tender recollection of scenes un- 
speakably interesting to us, as dying and accountable creatures, 
will constrain you to drop a tear upon the cold clod under which 
this worthless body will lie buried. Some of you may, perhaps, 
stand at times by my grave, to read a silent lecture on mortality, 
furnished by the plain monument erected there. On that will 
be inscribed the year, the month, and the day of my departure, 
for the information of strangers even. O ! that the solemn and 



25 

awful day that shall finish my appointed time upon earth, and 
put a final period to all my labors and designs, may be contin- 
ually and usefully on my mind while I live ; and may you all 
have grace so to number your days, as to apply your hearts unto 
wisdom. Forget not that sooner or later you must all die and 
pass into eternity ; and whilst friends, or strangers, or enemies 
are engaged in yonder places of the dead, in reading the date of 
your departure out of this world, you will be fixed under a de- 
cisive and unchangeable sentence — rejoicing in the rewards of 
time well redeemed and improved, or suffering the unspeakable 
sorrows which must inevitably attend the abuse of it. 

To the people of my pastoral cliarge permit me to say : I 
have been young, and now am old. Your fathers did not de- 
spise my youth on account of its weaknesses and imperfections, 
nor have you, apparently, my old age, under the infirmities 
attending it. I hope ever to retain a grateful sense of the kind- 
ness and respect which you have manifested towards me, and 
which have been continued from fathers to children and children's 
children 1o this day. It may be that God will suffer me to 
labor a little longer with you in the work of the ministry. If so, 
it must be in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 
On one thing, however, you may rely. I shall bring no neio 
or ' strange things' to your ears. I have, already, in this dis- 
course, given you a summary of the doctrines taught and re- 
ceived in the early part of my ministry. They are such as were 
inculcated and defended by Edwards, Brainard, Hopkins, Bel- 
lamy and others, and are essential to that ' gospel of the grace 
of God' which Paul testified. They are the glorious truths 
which God blesses in the formation of Christian character and 
Christian graces. And here I desire to record my unshaken 
belief, as the testimony of fifty years' experience in the gospel 
ministry, that they are the only doctrines which afford any 
ground of hope for saints or sinners. Should I outlive my use- 
fulness among you, I am, notwithstanding, encouraged, from 
past experience, to rely much on your patience and forbearance ; 
on your sympathy also, and compassion, when even all the 
reward you can hope for, will consist in the satisfaction of having 
4 



'^O 



aided an old man down the steep of age and through the last 
stages of his weary pilgrimage. The sun to me is fast sinking 
beneath the western horizon, and as it disappears, and eternity 
presses on my sight, may I be enabled, through divine grace, in 
the language of the poet, to say : 

' Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale ; 
Soon all my mortal powers must fail ; 
Oh ! may my last cxjjiriDj; breath, 
I lis lovmg kindness sing in deaths 

' Generation after generation,' says one, ' have felt as we now 
feel, and their fellows were as active in life as ours now. They 
passed away as a vapor, while nature wore the same aspect of 
beauty as when her Creator commanded her to be. And so 
likewise shall it be when we are gone. The heavens shall be 
as bright over our graves, as they are now around our path. 
The world will have the same attraction for offspring yet unborn, 
that she had once for ourselves, and that she has now for our 
children. Yet a litde while, and all this will have occurred. 
The throbbing heart will be stilled, and we shall be at rest. Our 
funeral will wind its way ; its sacred rites will be performed ; 
the grave clods will be thrown in ; our friends will then return, 
and we shall be left behind to darkness and to worms. It may be, 
indeed, that for some short time we shall be spoken of; but the 
things of life will soon creep in, and our names will soon be 
forgotten. Days will continue and move on ;,and laughter and 
song will be heard, perhaps, in the very chamber in which 
we died. The eye, also, that mourned for us, will be dried 
and glisten again with joy. Even our children may cease to 
think of us, and forget to lisp our names. Then, truly, in the 
toucliing language of the Psalmist, shall ' we become forgotten 
and clean out of mind.' 

Thus far, my hearers, we have been led to contemplate things 
pertaining to this world, and the fashion of the world as passing 
away. And truly many great events have passed in review, 
and many more will be witnessed by the rising generation. But 
there is one event to the righteous and the wicked. Though we 
carry about with us the seeds of death, and must soon fall 



27 

before the great leveller of all distinctions, yet we live for eternity, 
and its retributions await us all. Soon must we pass the vale of 
death, and enter upon another state of existence. Yes, soon 
shall we all, Minister and people, appear in the presence of Him 
who is ordained to be the Judge of quick and dead. Look we 
along the line of our existence, through the vista of coming cen- 
turies, and another scene — one of deep, solemn and overwhelm- 
ing interest, will occur upon this very hill ; for we are assured 
by Him ' who spake as never man spake,' that ' the hour cometh 
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of 
the Son of Man, and shall come forth ; they that have done good, 
unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto 
the resurrection of damnation.' Yes, the day cometh when the 
trump of God shall sound through Heaven, and earth and sea — 
break up old marble — and reanimate the multiplied millions, 
who, in this world of sin and sorrow, have fallen in death. Min- 
ister and people must then rise, and together stand before the 
Son of Man, to answer how we have taught, and how we have 
heard. Then will the long history of Sabbaths — the privileges 
of social prayer — opportunities to commemorate the dying love 
of Jesus — lost opportunities of doing good — yea, all the 
motives by which we have been actuated — be spread out before 
us as with a sunbeam. In that day of awful disclosure, may 
we find Jesus our friend, and may he hide us beneath the shadow 
of his wings, and be to us as a covert from the storm of wrath 
divine. How indescribably momentous the scene, when we 
shall see Him on the throne, shall hear His voice, and know that 
His sentence can never be reversed ! Watch, therefore, for ye 
know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man 
cometh. Yet a little while, and the commissioned angel shall 
lift his hand to Heaven, and swear by Him that liveth forever 
and ever, that there shall be time no longer. Yet a little while, 
and the last trumpet shall sound. Then shall yonder sun sink 
in eternal night — the moon be turned into blood — all the stars 
of li^ht shall fade — the beauties of creation be blotted out — 
these\eavens be rolled together as a scroll, and this earth, ' light- 
ed up by ten thousand fires, shall be dissolved.' Therefore, let 



28 



the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his 
thoughts; and lot him turn unto the liOrd, and He will have 
mercy on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 
Behold now is the accepted time. See that ye refuse not him 
that speaketh. Let us feci the importance of standing in con- 
stant readiness for the coming of our Lord. Delay may be 
death. Can our time be of so little value, that we may any 
longer throw it away in the eager pursuit of the things that 
perish in the using ? Throw it away I Throw time away ! 

' Throw empires, and be blameless. Moments seize. 
Heaven 's on the wing : a moment we may wish, 
When Avorlds want wealth to bu).' 



ADDRESS. 



[After the Sermon, the Rev. Mr. Todd, of Pittsfield, arose, and 
made a few extemporary remarks, in substance as follows.] 

I SHOULD do injustice to my own feelings, and no less to the 
feelings of the nine or ten Ministers of Christ who are present, 
and who have gathered around the venerable man who has just 
sat down, and listened to the words which have fallen from his 
lips, with emotions which do honor to their nature — did I not 
express my sincere thanks for this privilege of mingling our con- 
gratulations and our tears with this flock, on this novel and in- 
teresting occasion. We shall number it among the choicest 
seasons which occur during our pilgrimage. A rare thing 
it is for a Pastor to minister to a flock in faithfulness for half 
a century, and for a Church to sit so long under his ministra- 
tions, with a profiting that is apparent to all, and with a rev- 
erence that is ever increasing. By the statistics of the ordina- 
tions in this County, which have been given in the Sermon, 
you have hoard how Ministers and people have been given 
to change. If the pastoral office does not pass away with the 
fashion of this world, it is pretty certain that Pastors do. The 
evil of exchanging Pastors is a very great one, and the fault is 
partly the fault of the Pastor, and partly that of the people. 
We have feared lest it has come about that the young Minister 
feels that it is of little consequence whether he first settle in one 
place or another, since he must servo a kind of ministerial 
apprenticeship somewhere, and then remove to the right sphere; 
and that the people begin to feel that if their Minister docs not 



30 



receive a call to go away within five years, that it is of itself 
evidence enough that he is not great enough for them I At any 
rate, it is refreshing to see a Pastor putting on the golden crown 
of fifty years since his ordination. 

We are struck, on such an occasion as tliis, at the wisdom of 
God, in giving Pastors to the Churches of Christ. Your Min- 
ister has told you briefly what some of his labors have been, — 
how that he has preached more than ten thousand sermons to 
you — how that he has attended so many hundreds of funerals — 
but he has not told you, and he could not do it, how many 
sick beds he has visited, how many widows and orphans he has 
met and sympathized with — how many schools he has visited, 
how many days he has given to higher seminaries — how many 
meetings for the awakened sinner he has attended, nor how 
many hours he has lain on his pillow thinking over the respon- 
sibilities of his situation, and what he could next do for the 
spiritual good of his flock I You have recalled the past, and 
seen your Minister in public; but what passes within his study 
and his own heart — the sorrow and the trials, the hopes and the 
fears, the joys and the sorrows, which come and go in the course 
of fifty years — these he could not show you, and he did not 
attempt it. Oh ! could you see all this, you would understand 
that it is not age alone that has bowed the strong man, nor years 
alone that have weighed him down. We admire and praise 
that grace which has uplield and carried him along, amid the 
spiritual frosts and fevers of fifty years ; we symj)athize most 
deeply with the emotions of one who was ordained, probably, 
before any of these Ministers present were born ; and we con- 
gratulate this Church on the honor which all her sister Churches 
will cheerfully bestow, because she has heeded the counsels, and 
stood by her Pastor, so long and so faithfully. We gather new 
confidence for the Church of God for the future. It shows that 
there are nails yet in his temple, fastened in a sure place, and 
which the Redeemer will not allow any one to draw out. It 
makes us feel sure that lie who has thus fed and sheltered this 
flock so long, will still be mindful of it, and will not stifler the 
seed sown here so long and so faithfully, beside all waters, to 



31 

decay, and come to nought. It may lie bmied in the dust for a 
time, but 'in the end the vision shall speak, and not lie.' 

Some seem unable to comprehend the strength of the attach- 
ment which subsists between a faithful Minister of the Gospel 
and the people of his charge. They seem to forget that this 
relation is, of all others, the most spiritual, and the one that is 
designed to extend into the ages of eternity. Here is little room 
for the selfish feelings to have play, while all the purer and holier 
feelings of the heart are brought into continual exercise. When 
the family in distress and sorrow has its griefs shared by their 
Pastor, — when the widow and the orphan sees his tears mingled 
with theirs, — when the mother lies on her pillow praying for 
her wandering, distant son, and knows that her Minister is 
perhaps at that moment praying also for him, — these all know 
and feel that here is no place for selfishness. It is the work of 

the heart. 

The associations also, which blend in the memory of the 
labors of an aged Minister of Christ, are peculiar, also, from the 
fact that they are connected with our loftiest and best emotions. 
For half a century he has been letting the light of God's char- 
acter into the mind of his flock. He has been gathermg the 
rays of divine light, and concentrating them, and pourmg them 
in upon his people. Whenever they have come in contact with 
him, they have felt that they were coming in contact with their 
most enlarged conceptions of truth, their noblest aspirations after 
what is good, and the most earnest and far-reaching desires of 
the soul. He takes off the eye from beholding vanity, - he raises 
their thoughts above the little sorrows and vexaUons ot liie,-- 
he helps them to look over their mutual frailties and faults, and 
cheers them with the hope that they will one day meet in a state 
of unalloyed blessedness. By the light of God's great truths, 
he aids them to subdue themselves, he enlarges then: vision, he 
expands their intellect, and shows them the divine character as in 
a glass, till they are changed from glory to glory, ^o wonder 
when such a man is taken away, the people 'weep most of all 
that they shall see his face no more.' ^ 

Most sincerely, Reverend Sir, do these younger Ministers of 



32 



the Gospel sit down at your feet, to-day, with reverence and love. 
We rejoice in that grace which has enabled you to be so faithful, 
and in that Providence which has spared you so long to labor in 
this beautiful vineyard. We rejoice in that mighty testimony 
which you bear to-day, that, at the close of a ministry of fifty 
years, you are more and more confirmed in those great and 
glorious doctrines of the Cross, which were the cherished belief 
of our Puritan fathers, and which have brought our New Eng- 
land Churches up into the spring-tide of the latter day glory. 
We rejoice in those outpourings of God's spirit, on an average 
once in five years, which have kept this garden so fresh, its plants 
so vigorous, and its flovv'crs so beautiful. Sir, tiiough you may 
soon be called to leave a spot so endeared, you will not go fi'el- 
ing that the fire on this altar, which you have so long nurtured, 
is to go out, or its flame grow dim. The children shall be 
instead of the fathers, it is true ; but your hand shall be felt here 
long after it is cold in the grave, and your labors here shall per- 
petuate themselves in the long years of the future. This flock 
will have to let another generation pass away, ere your voice 
ceases to sound here, or the memory of your form ceases to rise 
up before the mirror of that memory. Your most beautiful mon- 
ument shall be reared in their hearts. And, should your brethren 
in the ministry outlive you, and be called to follow you to yonder 
grave-yard, there is not one of us who will shed tears of 
gratitude and sorrow who will not have his faith strengthened 
by your example, arid pray that the mantle of our father may 
fall on us I 

Oh I who of us will ever witness another scene like this I 
When another fifty years shafl return, that sun will be shining 
as at this hour; and these hills will stand around as they now 
do, and throw their shadows upon these beautiful valleys, and 
others will fill these seats, — but we — where shall we be? All, 
all will have passed away! Oh I that we may so live that we 
may meet above in that pure world where age shall not bring 
infirmities, where sin shall not reign, and where, amid joyful 
gatherings, tears shall not fall because separations are so soon to 
follow. 



LIBRARV OF CONGRESS 

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01A 078 707 3 ^ 



